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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 253 records · Page 14

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NASA NTRS1979

Iron lines from X-ray binaries

A summary of the observational evidence of iron lines from satellite X-ray detectors and binary X-ray pulsars is presented. The current theories consider that the continua X-rays from X-ray pulsars originate at or near the surface of neutron stars, and they can then heat or fluoresce iron ions in surrounding physical regions to create the observed emission. Measurements of the line energy, intensity, and width, and the phase dependence of these quantities can help determine the relative importance of contributions of relative sources. The evidence is presented that the iron emission from some sources contains more than one component, and the spectra of other X-ray binaries including transients and cataclysmic variables also contain iron lines. Some implications of the observed line emission are discussed.

Pravdo, S. H.↗

NASA NTRS1980

The chemistry and transport of methane and carbon monoxide in the troposphere

The present understanding of the physical and chemical behavior of methane, carbon monoxide and the chemical species involved in the conversion of CH4 to CO in the troposphere is reviewed. Following a brief summary of CO and CH4 emission and reactions in urban areas, attention is given to measurements of the spatial and temporal distributions of CO and CH4 in the rural atmosphere, the contribution of the oceans to atmospheric CO and CH4 concentrations, and interactions of CH4 and CO with soils and vegetation. Estimates of the transport of CH4 and CO from the troposphere to the stratosphere are discussed, and photochemical reactions of the constituents are examined. Two- and three-dimensional models for CH4 and CO transport are presented, and possible future variations in atmospheric abundances of the molecules are considered. Finally, present estimates of the global methane and carbon dioxide budgets are summarized, and it is pointed out that, despite the large contribution of anthropogenic sources, the budgets appear to be in balance.

Peters, L. K.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Electroforming for High-Performance Products

Report describes development of processes and procedures for preparation of specifications for electroforming nickel and copper outer shells on cooled rocket thrust-chamber liners. Specifications represent merging of technical contributions from many sources into guide for producers of electroformed, high-performance products. Raw materials, conducting solutions and deposition rates are evaluated.

Malone, G. A.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Faint object studies with IUE

To push IUE to the limit on faint sources, detector background contributions from the night sky, energetic particle events, detector flaws and calibration errors must be established. Multiple spectra of faint nebular filaments were intercompared with multiple spectra of sky background in a study of the Crab Nebula. Radiation hits dominate the background of any long exposure spectrum but bright spots of the detector can be misconstrued to be radiation hits, or spectral information. The spectra were normalized and then, on a pixel by pixel basis, average and median spectra were constructed. Four data sets (six SWP nebular, six SWP sky, six LWR nebular, and six LWR sky) were processed in parallel. A number of bright and faint background features remain, especially for SWP images. Several features could be misconstrued to be emission from a faint object.

Gull, T. R.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Results of thermal environment measurements on the thermal cannister experiment and get away special enclosure

Because the OSS-1 pallet contained a variety of instruments with irregular surface geometry and properties which limited predictability, the total absorbed flux on thermal canister radiators was measured to determine heat rejection capability. The instrumentation and sensor cup design and locations for the thermal canister experiment are illustrated. Graphs show flux sensor history in hot and coal orbits. Kapton erosion is also considered. Results show that the flux levels measured in all STS attitudes are higher than predictions. In cold and moderate attitudes, flight results are a factor of two to three higher than predicts. In hot attitude, much better agreement occurred. It is concluded that in cold or moderate attitudes other sources may be contributing to added inputs (albedo, Earth shine, shuttle background). In hot attitude, smaller differences could be attributed to coatings assumptions or calculation uncertainty.

Ollendorf, S.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Chemical systematics among the moldavite tektites

The compositional variations that occur among the moldavite tektites are caused principally by incomplete mixing of two components during fusion. With the possible exception of silica, there is no evidence for significant losses of volatile species by fractional vaporization. Chemical constraints have been calculated for the two source-materials that contributed to the moldavites. If these tektites were formed by impact fusion, as is commonly believed, then the compositional systematics preserved within the moldavites suggest that hypersonic flow and ejection of impact melts are orderly processes. Insights gained from the study of tektites should prove useful in interpreting the chemistries of impact glasses from other bodies in the solar system.

Delano, J. W.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Parmeterization of spectra

Following reception and analog to digital conversion (A/D) conversion, atmospheric radar backscatter echoes need to be processed so as to obtain desired information about atmospheric processes and to eliminate or minimize contaminating contributions from other sources. Various signal processing techniques have been implemented at mesosphere-stratosphere-troposphere (MST) radar facilities to estimate parameters of interest from received spectra. Such estimation techniques need to be both accurate and sufficiently efficient to be within the capabilities of the particular data-processing system. The various techniques used to parameterize the spectra of received signals are reviewed herein. Noise estimation, electromagnetic interference, data smoothing, correlation, and the Doppler effect are among the specific points addressed.

Cornish, C. R.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Near-earth asteroids - Possible sources from reflectance spectroscopy

The diversity of reflectance spectra noted among near-earth asteroids that were compared with selected asteroids, planets and satellites to determine possible source regions is indicative of different mineralogical composition and, accordingly, of more than one source region. Spectral signatures that are similar to those of main belt asteroids support models deriving some of these asteroids from the 5:2 Kirkwood gap and the Flora family, by way of gravitational perturbations. The differences in composition found between near-earth asteroids and planetary and satellite surfaces are in keeping with theoretical arguments that such bodies should not be sources. While some near-earth asteroids furnish portions of the earth's meteorite flux, other sources must also contribute.

Mcfadden, L. A.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Reductions of Antarctic ozone due to synergistic interactions of chlorine and bromine

The vertical column density of ozone observed in October over Antarctica has fallen precipitously over the past 10 yr. The concentration at Halley Bay (76 deg S, 27 deg W), expressed conventionally in Dobson units (DU), has dropped from about 300 DU in 1975 to less than 200 DU in 1984. Values in 1985 were even lower, comparable with the lowest values recorded anywhere on earth. It is suggested here that the loss of O3 in Antarctica may be attributed to catalysis of O3 recombination by a scheme in which the rate-limiting step is defined by the reaction of ClO + BrO - Cl + Br + O2. Concentrations of NO2 must be low and heterogeneous reactions involving particles in the polar stratospheric clouds must be an important element of the relevant chemistry. Industrial sources make important contributions to the contemporary budgets of both BrO and ClO and are likely to grow significantly in the future.

Mcelroy, M. B.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Some atmospheric scattering considerations relevant to BATSE: A model calculation

The orbiting Burst and Transient Source Experiement (BATSE) will locate gamma ray burst sources by analysis of the relative numbers of photons coming directly from a source and entering its prescribed array of detectors. In order to accurately locate burst sources it is thus necessary to identify and correct for any counts contributed by events other than direct entry by a mainstream photon. An effort is described which estimates the photon numbers which might be scattered into the BATSE detectors from interactions with the Earth atmosphere. A model was developed which yielded analytical expressions for single-scatter photon contributions in terms of source and satellite locations.

Young, John H.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Time-dependent profiles of lava flows

This work investigates the combined effects of a time-dependent effusion rate and a spatially varying viscosity on the thickness profile of a flowing lava. Relatively simple governing equations are formulated as a primitive dynamical model for these two influences on lava flow morphology. Free boundary solutions for the profile of the flow and its extent are presented and analyzed for different boundary conditions at the source of the flow and several models for the spatial dependence of the viscosity. The results presented here suggest that time dependence in the flow depth at the source and the form of the viscosity variation are significant influences on the morphology and dimensions of lava flows. Moreover, this analysis implies that time-dependent source conditions may contribute to the scatter in plots of eruption rate versus flow length and disparities between field and laboratory estimates of lava viscosity.

Baloga, Stephen↗

NASA NTRS1987

Properties of the X-ray emitting gas in early-type galaxies

The properties of the X-ray emitting gas in a sample of 81 E and S0 galaxies observed with the Einstein Observatory are studied. Measured fluxes for 55 of the galaxies and upper limits for 26 of them are reported. An attempt is made to use consistent optical parameters for the galaxies, including a correction to the velocities for the Virgocentric flow. The sample is then used to explore the contribution from discrete sources, the global physical properties of the hot gas, and the implications for heating by supernovae and gravity. Finally, the question of the presence of heavy halos is addressed.

Canizares, Claude R.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Physical processes and infrared emission from the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant

IRAS 12-100 micron data on the Cas A remnant are presented, and various physical mechanisms and astrophysical sites that may contribute to the observed infrared emission are analyzed. The contributions of various sources of infrared emission to the IRAS fluxes are found to be small. The residual infrared emission is attributed to thermal emission from dust which is swept up by the expanding supernova blast wave and collisionally heated by the postshock X-ray emitting gas. The calculations are consistent with a shock velocity of 1800 km/s and a preshock gas density of about 2/cu cm. The mass of the swept-up gas is about 0.6 solar mass. An excess of 12 micron thermal emission in the spectrum of Cas A suggests the presence of very small particles in the preshocked gas.

Dwek, E.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Active star-forming galaxies in the X ray foreground

Star forming galaxies were discovered as a component of the X-ray background (XRB) in the Einstein deep surveys. Such star forming galaxies may be largely powered by superluminous Population 1 massive X-ray binaries (MXRB), formed in the wake of star formation in regions of low metallicity. The star forming galaxies with moderate numbers of MXRB may evolve into the infrared starburst galaxies found at low redshifts using IRAS (Infrared Astronomy Satellite), and may also be related to those galaxies identified with sub-mJy radio sources. A conservative contribution to the XRB of at least approximately 15 percent, without evolution is estimated. It is shown that moderate evolution leads to a contribution at least equalling that of quasars. Above 3 keV, star forming galaxies may dominate the XRB.

Griffiths, R. E.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Lead isotopes in trade wind aerosols at Barbados - The influence of European emissions over the North Atlantic

Previous studies have shown that Pb can be used as a transient tracer in the atmosphere and the ocean because of strong time-variability of industrial inputs and because Pb isotopic composition can be used to identify contributions from different sources. Pb isotopic measurements on aerosols collected from the North Atlantic Ocean in the trade wind belt are presented. Aerosols sampled at Barbados during the 1969-1985 period have a Pb isotopic composition different from that observed by previous investigators in Bermuda corals and Sargasso Sea waters. Barbados aerosols appear to contain significant amounts of relatively unradiogenic industrial and automotive Pb that is derived from Europe and carried to Barbados by the trade winds. In contrast, Bermuda corals and Sargasso sea waters are influenced mainly by U.S.-derived emissions, which contain more radiogenic Pb originating from Missouri-type ores. This difference generates a strong latitudinal Europe-U.S.A. isotopic gradient, thus allowing study of trans-Atlantic atmospheric transport and ocean mixing processes.

Hamelin, B.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Simulation of microwave brightness temperatures of an evolving hailstorm at SSM/I frequencies

A simulation of the appearance of an intense hailstorm in the passive microwave spectrum is used to characterize the vertical sources of radiation contributing to the microwave brightness temperatures at the top of the atmosphere. The four frequencies studied correspond to those used on the USAF Special Sensor Microwave Imager. The origin and movement of the radiation are described by two vertically resolved radiative structure functions. Consideration is given to problems relating to precipitation retrieval through passive remote sensing.

Mugnai, Alberto↗

NASA NTRS1992

Induced radioactivity in LDEF components

A systematic study of the induced radioactivity of the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) is being carried out in order to gather information about the low earth orbit radiation environment and its effects on materials. The large mass of the LDEF spacecraft, its stabilized configuration, and long mission duration have presented an opportunity to determine space radiation-induced radioactivities with a precision not possible before. Data presented include preliminary activities for steel and aluminum structural samples, and activation subexperiment foils. Effects seen in the data show a clear indication of the trapped proton anisotropy in the South Atlantic Anomaly and suggest contributions from different sources of external radiation fluxes.

Harmon, B. A.↗

NASA NTRS1992

The electrical conductivities of the DSS-13 beam-waveguide antenna shroud material and other antenna reflector surface materials

A significant amount of noise temperature can potentially be generated by currently unknown dissipative losses in the beam waveguide (BWG) shroud. The amount of noise temperature contribution from this source is currently being studied. In conjunction with this study, electrical conductivity measurements were made on samples of the DSS-13 BWG shroud material at 8.420 GHz. The effective conductivities of unpainted and painted samples of the BWG shroud were measured to be 0.01 x 10(exp 7) and 0.0036 x 10(exp 7) mhos/m, respectively. This value may be compared with 5.66 x 10(exp 7) mhos/m for high conductivity copper.

Otoshi, T. Y.↗